Peace Negotiations
Background: Sharon's "Gaza Disengagement Plan" (early February 2004)
Sharon's "disengagement" plan was introduced in early February 2004, at the peak of international criticism of Sharon's project of the Wall, with the Hague hearing scheduled to begin just a few weeks later, on 23 February. Although the headlines presented this as a plan for an immediate unilateral Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, modeling Israel's withdrawal from Southern Lebanon, Sharon clarified that "the process will take one to two years." He explained that a long process of negotiations lies ahead, not with the Palestinians, who will be excluded from any negotiations about the plan, but with the US, with whom, "agreement is needed on both the evacuation and the matter of the fence" (Yoel Marcus, Ha'aretz, Feb 3, 2004).
Geneva Accord (October 2003)
The so-called "Geneva Accord," an informal agreement prepared by Israelis, led by former Labor Justice Minister Yossi Beilin and other Oslo-era luminaries, and Palestinians close to Yasser Arafat, demonstrates a determination to repeat the tragic errors of the past. In this section you will find the text of the accord, analysis, human rights commentaries, opinion/editorial pieces, and activism news related to the Geneva Accord.
The Road Map (30 April 2003)
The "Road Map" for peace in the Middle East was drawn up by the United States, Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations (refered to as the "Quartet"). US President Bush formally submitted it to Israel and the Palestinian Authority on 30 April 2003.
Camp David II (July 2000)
The Camp David II summit took place in July 2000 and involved Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, and US President Bill Clinton. The summit did not conclude with an agreement and was followed by a systematic campaign in which Israel's position on key issues of the conflict was misrepresented as "generous", when in fact the borders and final status discussed fell far below the minimum requirements of international law and offered the Palestinians a future that looked like a permanent version of the network of checkpoints and cantons that Oslo introduced to the landscape.
Oslo Accords (1993)
The Oslo Accords were a series of agreements that resulted from secret meetings between Israel and the PLO. The initial document of understanding, the Declaration of Principles, was presented at an official ceremony on the White House lawn by Rabin, Peres, Arafat, and Clinton.
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